2012: The year in the north county July to December

The Mendocino County Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund provides about $13,800 each to the Little Lake Fire District and Long Valley Fire District.

Most Willits schools see declines in their "base" Academic Performance Index scores released by the California Department of Education.

The City of Willits passes its 2012-2013 budget, which includes a 9 percent sewer rate increase and adjustments for the abrupt statewide closure of redevelopment agencies.

Groundwork starts for the new Howard Foundation Medical Office Building next to the site for the new Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital.

Sgt. Heath Sagan, 23, of Willits, is killed in a motorcycle crash southeast of Auburn.

Mark Maples, 53, of Ukiah, dies due to "blunt force injuries" to his head and upper torso at a Third Gate Road residence. As of year end, no one has been arrested for the murder.

For the murder of Joe Litteral, 40 and the attempted murder of Brandon Haggett, 20, Marvin Douglas Johnson, Jr. receives a 25 years-to-life sentence and Simon Thornton, 23, is sentenced to 34 years-to-life.

August

Airport Days returns to Ells Field after a year's absence.

The California Farm Bureau joins four environmental groups suing CalTrans for shortcuts made in permitting of the Highway 101 bypass around Willits.

Willits residents, young and old, compete at the 2012 Redwood Empire Fair, bringing home plenty of ribbons.

Willits Relay for Life raises $41,000 for cancer research.

California begins sending notices to rural homeowners about new state fire fee.

Zachary Ryan Price, 20, wanted in Texas for murder, is arrested by the California Highway Patrol at Black Oak Ranch.

Lightning sparks a fire in the Mendocino Pass area northeast of Covelo. Evacuations are ordered and much of the Mendocino National Forest is closed. The fire causes smoke health advisories throughout the county. The fire eventually scorches about 42,000 acres and is not contained until September.

Construction begins on the new Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital.

A 1997 Chevy Tahoe with three bodies inside is located by a friend of the missing driver, Phillip R. Manus, 38. The SUV is found down the Eel River embankment off Highway 101 south of Confusion Hill.

The City of Willits requests bids on its $5.1 million water treatment plant revamp. The contract is eventually awarded to C. Overaa and Company for $4.898 million.

Work begins on the new East Commercial Street Willits campus of Mendocino College.

September

The new Willits Elementary Charter School opens.

The Willits Kinetic Carnivale comes to town with handcar races, more than 40 food and craft vendors, a Whimsy Circus featuring children's activities, a Grand Ball on Saturday night, and general steam-punk merriment at Recreation Grove Park

Debra Pearson, former superintendent for school districts in Sutter and Yuba counties, is named interim Willits Unified School District superintendent for the 2012/13 school year.

A series of fires breaks out on Cow Mountain south of Willits, resulting in evacuations in Lake County. The fires are considered suspicious in origin. Firefighting resources are stretched thin all across Northern California.

The newest member of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office canine corps dies on August 20 in a training accident.

Environmental groups seek a temporary injunction to stop all work on the Highway 101 bypass around Willits until the pending case is heard in court. A federal court judge eventually rejects the motion and allows construction to continue.

About 30 local volunteers collect 1.08 tons of trash from Baechtel, Willits and Broadus creeks in Willits as part of the 28th annual Coastal Cleanup Day.

Smoke from Oregon fires prompts a Willits-area smoke advisory.

October

Area property taxes go up more than four-fold for homeowners living in the Willits Unified School District. A $5 million balloon payment on WUSD bonds due in 2014 is discovered as well. This prompts the cancellation of all future construction work on the school campuses. The subsequent discovery of exotic Capital Appreciation Bonds in the school funding portfolio raises even further questions about the district's financial management.

A Vallejo father and son Greg Saul Dodson, 44, and Vincent Jay Dodson, 21, die in a crash on Highway 101 north of Laytonville. The driver is wearing a seatbelt and escapes with minor injuries. Investigators find a variety of weapons and equipment, including a map detailing directions from Vallejo to Shelter Cove, inside the crashed vehicle.

Illegal water diversion, likely for marijuana grows, are sucking the life from the Eel River in Mendocino and Humboldt counties. This fall, river dives by biologists confirm low flows and excessive nutrient loads have created abundant mats of toxic algae, despite "normal" early season flows.

The 2012 Willits High School Homecoming winners are Queen Brianna Schneider and King Samuel White.

November

Sacramento-based Governmental Financial Strategies, Inc. is chosen by the Mendocino County Office of Education to review the Willits Unified District's debt service and financial outlook.

A Mendocino County jury finds Billy Norbury was legally sane when he murdered Jamal Andrews in January 2011. Norbury is sentenced to spend 50-years-to life in prison.

Skeletal remains buried in a shallow grave are located next to the Eel River near the 83000 block of Highway 271 near Piercy. As of year end no age, sex or identity has been determined.

A growing number of studies conclude that teen and preteen use of marijuana leads to lower intelligence and the increased potential for psychotic behavior. Binge alcohol use also is linked to irreversible changes in brain development. These findings are particularly troubling for the Willits area, where school surveys show local students begin marijuana use and binge drinking much earlier than the California average.

A head-on fatal crash claims the life of Robert Leroy Crosby, 70, of Fairfield, on Highway 101 south of the Drive-Thru Tree Park.

A trailer in Valley Oaks Mobile Home Park on Valley Road burns completely.

Covelo and Brooktrails fire departments each receive $50,000 as legacies from the estate of Jack Langbehn.

The Willits school board appoints Alex Bowlds to fill the vacant seat on the board due to Robert Kirkpatrick's resignation in September.

The Willits City Council hires Brooktrails resident and pilot Dan Ramsey to manage the Willits Municipal Airport for the next year.

Federal Judge Jeffrey White sets June 7 for the main hearing on the pending lawsuit seeking to stop the Highway 101 bypass around Willits.

A federal grand jury subpoena for records from Mendocino County related to its pot regulation program sends chills through many in the Mendocino County marijuana subculture. In December, the county files a motion to quash the subpoena, with a hearing set in January.

The heavens open up on Saturday night as Northern California, including Willits, suffer the brunt of three storm systems that pound the area between November 28 and December 2. Together the three storms drop nearly a foot of rain on the Willits area, causing localized flooding, downed power lines, road closures and even a bridge washout.

Ray's Food Place closes and reopens as LoBucks.

December

Little Lake Fire District begins a push to secure a new firehouse, expecting to be ready to go out for bid in February. The district is working with the US Department of Agriculture to obtain a 40-year loan.